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Tech facilitated violent pushback

Date & Time 2024-10-12
Location along the A5/E73 highway (Slavonika), Croatia, near Svilaj
Reported by Collective Aid
Coordinates 45.138424, 18.312425
Pushback from Croatia
Pushback to Bosnia
Taken to a police station yes
Minors involved no
WLTI* involved no
Men involved yes
Age unknown
Group size 3
Countries of origin Iran
Treatment at police station or other place of detention detention
Overall number of policemen and policewomen involved 3
Violence used kicking, destruction of personal belongings, slapped across the face
Police involved 3 Croatian police officers at apprehension, 2 male, 1 female, 1 of the 2 male officers described as a large, bald man, 1 large Opel Croatian police vehicle, officers wearing black uniforms, identified as Interventna Jedinica Policija when shown gallery; Police officers at police (detention) station identified as Croatian border police, based on light blue uniforms

The respondent is an Iranian man in his late 20s. He was part of a transit group that consisted of 2 other Iranian men between the ages of 20 and 30. The transit group was apprehended in Croatia (along the A5/E73 highway, Slavonika) in the early hours of 12th October 2024, and was pushed back into Bosnia a couple of hours later. 

After crossing the Sava by a small boat that they had rented (the respondent noted that one member of the transit group fell into the river because of the intense rocking, though he was able to eventually climb back in), the group had planned to walk through what he described as the Croatian “jungle”, the woodland, near the A5/E73 highway (Slavonika, Croatia). However, when they arrived at said “jungle”, they realized that they would be unable to continue in that direction: sharp sticks, twigs, and large branches were strewn all along the floor, effectively making it impossible to walk along. 

The respondent stated that he believed this was done by Croatian police on purpose, to force transit groups to reroute onto the main road. Nevertheless, the transit group decided that they would try walking along the main road (along the A5/E73 highway), as it was the safer option. As they were walking along the road, the respondent noticed cameras with solar panels. He saw a red light flash from one of the cameras as they passed it. Believing it to be a motion detector, the respondent, along with the rest of the transit group, tried to run away from the road and hide. 

A few minutes later, a Croatian police vehicle (described by the respondent as a large Opel) arrived and apprehended the group. 

2 officers, a man, and a woman remained in the vehicle, whilst one officer (described as a large, bald man), whom the respondent identified as the Croatian Interventna Jednica Policija based on their black uniforms, approached them.  The respondent described how the first thing the officer did was demand the transit group to hand over their phones. 

The officer proceeded to use a small pocket knife to damage their charging ports and also removed and discarded their sim cards and their phones’ sim card holders. 

“This is standard practice”, the respondent explained. 

One member of the transit group then put a cigarette in his mouth to have a smoke. The respondent reported that the officer saw this and slapped him across the face. The respondent proceeded to beg the Croatian officer to let them go: “I don’t care if you take my fingerprint. You can take my fingerprint, but just let us go. We do not want to stay in your country. We will not be a problem for you.” The officer responded by making them get into the police vehicle. 

The transit group was driven to a police station about half an hour away from where they were apprehended. The respondent identified the officers in the station as Croatian border police, based on their light blue uniforms. There, the transit group was put in detention, in a room that the respondent described as having only one little window. The respondent described how there were others detained in the station too, including a group of Afghan men. 

The respondent noted that they were surprisingly well fed in the station, as they were each given sandwiches and drinks. A couple of hours later, the transit group was driven to a Croatian land border with Bosnia. The respondent was unsure where they were dropped off, as they no longer had access to data. He mentioned that it was somewhere not too far from Bihać. 

The respondent described how the officers kicked them and shouted at them to “Go!”, whilst pointing them in the direction that they were meant to follow. From there, they were forced to walk back into Bosnia.